The role of the brain in glaucoma

University of South Florida (USF) scientists have produced a new study showing that pressure in the brain and eye are physiologically connected.

The research, which was published in The Journal of Physiology, involved experiments altering the brain pressure of animals and observing changes in the fluid drainage properties of the eye.
 
They found that the eye’s ability to clear fluid changed in order to restore a healthy pressure difference across the optic nerve.

Professor Chris Passaglia, from the USF department of medical engineering, highlighted that the drainage control system may help to protect the optic nerve from swings in eye or brain pressure.

“Its discovery offers a new target for glaucoma treatment, wherein the modulatory mechanisms of the system might be exploited to help lower eye pressure and impede disease progression in glaucoma patients,” he said.

Image credit: Pixabay/Raman Oza